Soccer Fans Boo Israeli National Anthem Before Fight Breaks Out At Israel-France Match

While the France-Israel Nations League match may have itself been boring, the buildup to it was anything but.

Last night, the two national teams faced off in the Stade de France near Paris. Roughly 100 Israeli fans attended the match, and in doing so, they defied their government’s warning to avoid attending any international sporting events.

PARIS, FRANCE – NOVEMBER 14: Coman of France in action during the UEFA Nations League A Group A2 football match between France and Israel at the Stade de France in the commune of Saint-Denis, Paris, France on November 14, 2024. (Photo by Ibrahim Ezzat/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Because tensions are high surrounding anything to do with the nation of Israel, the chance for a skirmish to break out was high (as evidenced by last week’s altercation in Amsterdam). To prevent any trouble from occurring, France deployed roughly 4,000 security personnel.

Even though the security detail was there, trouble broke out.

It started when many French supporters (less than 17,000 were there in an 80,000-seat stadium) started booing and whistling when the Israeli national anthem was played.

That quickly escalated when a fight broke out between Israeli and other fans. It remains unclear who started it; most news outlets are saying they don’t know who instigated and social media is divided on the matter.

Here is footage of what happened.

The match ended in a 0-0 draw, and no further fan fights occurred.

French prime minister Emmanuel Macron was at the match and spoke out against the rise in antisemitism in France and the surrounding nations.

“We will not give in to antisemitism anywhere, and violence, including in the French Republic, will never prevail, nor will intimidation,” Mr Macron stated in an interview with BFMTV, firmly condemning both antisemitism and the threats of violence surrounding the match.

We will provide more information as it becomes available.